Word broke late Monday night that the Dolphins did, in fact, meet with Manning for about six hours on Monday, just like he met with the Broncos and Cardinals for six hours each over the weekend. But in an interesting twist, Manning didn’t visit with the Dolphins in South Florida, even though he has a home here. Instead, Manning secretly met with the Dolphins in Indianapolis, likely to avoid the intense media crush that is trying to follow Manning’s every move.

And in another interesting twist, it was reported that only Joe Philbin, offensive coordinator Mike Sherman and other members of the coaching staff met with Manning. Owner Stephen Ross wasn’t involved, and neither was general manager Jeff Ireland.

Some Dolphins fans are concerned today that Ross’ absence from the meeting means Manning is not serious about joining the Dolphins. From our perspective, it means the exact opposite.

Yes, Manning spent much of his Denver visit hanging out with John Elway. And he reportedly met Cardinals president Mike Bidwill on his trip to Phoenix. But let’s be clear, Manning’s visits to both teams was about one thing: Talking ball.

Manning didn’t bring his agent on any of his trips, because it wasn’t about negotiating a contract or talking about marketing opportunities. It was about Manning talking X’s and O’s with football men – guys like Elway, John Fox, Ken Whisenhunt, Larry Fitzgerald – to see how Manning would take control of the offense. Because that’s all Manning cares about – winning football games.

Monday was his first time meeting Philbin and the Dolphins. Manning didn’t need to hear how Ross wants to market his new star. He didn’t need to need to talk to Ireland about incentives and signing bonuses and guaranteed money.

Monday was a fact-finding mission to see if Philbin and Sherman know their X’s and O’s and can help Manning win another Super Bowl title. There will be time for the other stuff later.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter did say this morning that he believes that it was simply a courtesy visit from Manning, and that he doesn’t “see them as a viable contender” compared to what Arizona, Denver and Tennessee can bring to the table.

But considering that Manning and the Dolphins met for nearly six hours, and did it in a secret location, seems like a clear sign that the Dolphins are still very much in the hunt to sign him.

2. Don’t expect the Dolphins to be too active in free agency until Manning situation is resolved.

Meanwhile, today feels like Christmas morning (or the first day of Hannukah), as teams are free to sign their shiny new toys as of 4 p.m. when NFL free agency officially begins. The biggest names in free agency – other than Manning of course – will be defensive end Mario Williams, receiver Vincent Jackson and quarterback Matt Flynn.

But don’t expect the Dolphins to be too active – if at all – in free agency until the Manning saga is resolved.

They have about $16 million in salary cap space before restructuring any current contracts, and need to keep that money free to sign Manning and any of his potential friends. That means Paul Soliai, arguably the top nose tackle available in free agency, will likely find his big-money deal elsewhere. That means Kendall Langford will have to be patient if he wants to return to Miami, or else he could look to Atlanta or somewhere else. That means the Dolphins might need to fill their most glaring holes – at right tackle, pass rusher and cornerback – in the draft.

It also means the Dolphins have to keep one eye on Flynn, because the odds of getting Manning still aren’t good. Flynn is an obvious target for the Dolphins because of the Philbin connection, but he is likely to receive offers from Seattle and Cleveland. And the Seahawks could be a legitimate contender for Flynn – they are desperate for a quarterback, and GM John Schneider was in Green Bay when the Packers drafted Flynn four years ago.

This will be a tricky week for Ireland and the Dolphins – they must maintain a rabid pursuit of Manning, because he is by far their top priority. But they also must know when to walk away from the table and move onto Flynn. The worst possible outcome is to miss out on both Manning and Flynn, and then have to use their first-round draft pick to reach for a quarterback (Ryan Tannehill) instead of filling a team need.

3. Draft season also picking up steam.

Meanwhile, the NFL Draft season is starting to pick up steam, and it’s time to start tracking names of players who work out and visit with the Dolphins.

The first one of the season will be Appalachian State running back Travaris Cadet, a Miami-Central High graduate who also played quarterback and receiver in college and will work out for the Dolphins this week. Cadet, a shade under 6-foot and 210 pounds, rushed for 651 yards, caught 34 passes for 333 yards and scored seven total touchdowns while serving as the Mountaineers’ kickoff and punt returner.

The Dolphins aren’t in the market for a starting running back – Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas will handle those duties – but they certainly need depth. Steve Slaton is an unrestricted free agent and doubtful to return, while Lex Hilliard is a restricted free agent and may not, as well.

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